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IndyCar technical panel weighs aero-kit plans

It's possible that IndyCar will not have multiple aero-kit options for 2013. Photo by LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard told Autoweek that the sanctioning body's technical committee, led by Will Phillips, will decide how to proceed with aero kits for 2013.

IndyCar released a statement in May that the list of aero-kit manufacturers would be released this month. But team owners united during last weekend's Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix to say that they still don't want the kits.

Team owners said as much last year because of the extra cost associated with them; IndyCar has set the price per kit at $75,000. The kits are intended to further differentiate the cars.

Bernard said there are at least five manufacturers interested in building kits, although he did not name them all. He only confirmed Chevrolet, Honda and Dallara.

The goal of the aero-kit program was to bring new partners into the sport, but the team owners say they see no sign of that happening. That makes it not worth the expense, projected at $3 million per manufacturer. They say that the money would be better spent on promotion of the sport.

Bernard did not set a timetable for making a decision, but he acknowledged that it must come soon.